Dust-guard for car-axle boxes



(No Model.)

W. DAWSON 8v E. J. FROST.

DUST GUARD POR GAR AXLE BOXES.

110.368,281. Patented Aug. 16, 1887.

FIG.?..

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' section on the plane of w w.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM DAIVSON AND EDWARD J. FROST, OF PHILADELPHIA,

PENNSYLVANIA.'

DUST-GUARD FOR CAR-AXLE BOXES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 368,281, dated August 16, 1887.

Application tiled February 25, 1886. Serial No. 193,l2'2. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that we, VILLIAM DAWSON and EDWARD J. Fnosr, of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dust-Guards for Car-Axle Boxes, &c., whereof the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

Our invention is specially valuable in connection with such a lubricating device as is described and shown in Letters Patent No. 325,668, dated September S, 1885, granted to us, and in the drawings of the present application we have shown it as applied to such a lubricating device, although we do not desire to restrict our claim to its use in that connection.

In the use oflubricators of that description it is especially desirable to exclude dust; and while dust-guards have been devised for that purpose, we believe that heretofore they have not gone into extended use, owing to difficilities of their application, which it is the object of the present invention to avoid.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical section through the dustguard and adjacent parts on a plane running through the center ot' the car-axle. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the plane x a: of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the plane z z of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an inside view of the cap or back of the guard. Fig. 5 is a partial horizontal Fig. 6 is a partial top view of the device; and Figs. 7, 8, 9, and l() are detail views in perspective of portions of the guard.

A represents the car-axle having a journal, B, which extends into the axle-box C, the latter being provided at its front end with a lid, E, for the introduction of the lubricant. At the bottom of the axle-box is a chamber to hold the said lubricant, and in said chamber a roll, I, revolves, said roll having bearingsin a frame, G, supported upon elliptical springs T, and operating substantially in the manner described in the Letters Patent before referred to.

The rear face of the axle-box, C, which is rectangular in shape, is planed offsmooth, and. has a sunk or depressed edge, e, the bottom surface of said depression being parallel to the general surface of the face, except at the top of the box, where the depression is. inclined, as shown at H. To this rear end of the axle-box is secured a cap, F, whose projecting flange c tits snugly in contact with three sides of the back of the box, the fourth side (which is the top) being, however, reccssed, as shown at S, so as to leave across the entire top ofthe box a dovetailed slot having the overhanging sides H and S. The cap F has a vertically-elongated opening, K, (see Fig. 4,) through which the axle passes, and which allows a certain amount ofplay around said axle.

The space between the cap and the back of the box forms a receptacle for the dust-guard proper, which consists of the following devices:

In Fig. 7 is shown the bottom plate, O, of the dust-guard,which has an opening, U, whose bottom conforms to the periphery ofthe lower half of the axle A, butwhose upper portion is preferably slightly larger than said axle, so as not to lit closely thereon. Said plate is slotted, as shown at R, across its entire width, and in this slot a top piece, I), lits so as to slide or telescope easily. rlhis top piece, l?, has, as is shown in Fig. 9, a semicircular opening, p, whose periphery conforms to the pcriphery of the upper half of the axle A, and when the two are put together, as shown in Fig. 8, the top piece, I, will slide down until the axle is embraced all around by the combined surfaces of the opening U and opening p. The top and bottom devices thus combined constitute a sectional dust-guard, and are fitted into the recess between the cap F and the back face of the axle-box, and are sustained and clamped against the axle A in the following manner: A preferably elliptical spring, c, is placed below the bottom piece and rests upon the bottom flange of the cap F. Said cap has also two vertical recesses, L L, adjacent to its sides, and in these recesses two preferably elliptical springs, Z Z, are placed so as to press the guard against the back face of the axle-box. The parts having been placed in this position,and the cap F having been secured by screws (shown in dottedlines in Fig. l) to the back of the axle-box, a preferably elliptical spring, b, is placed upon the top of the piece I), and a dovetailed wedge, J, (see IOO Fig. 10,) is then driven into the dovetailed slot between the inclined surfaces S H, so as to lpress said spring down upon said top piece, P, and hold the entire guard in position. This wedgewe prefer to construct of wood or some elastic material which can be driven in, and which will retain its position without the aid of fastenings, since we find that this construction enables us to dispense with any elaborate device for securing the parts, and at the same time can be readily withdrawn to permit their removal or replacement in case of injury.

As before stated, we do not claim, broadly, the combination, with an axle-box, of a dustguard, but only the improved construction and novel organizations by which we are enabled to readily apply such guard within the limited space between the axle-box andthe Wheel,and which also permits the guard tovaccommodate itself to any movementsof the axle while yet making a close joint against the rear end of the axle-box. l

Havingl thus described our invention, we claim- 1. The combination, with the axle-box and a cap at the back thereof, of a dust-guard seated between said cap and said box and the springs confined between the front face of said cap and the back face of said dust-guard, and acting horizontally to thrust said dust-guard forward against said box where it surrounds the axle, so as to keep a tight joint between the guard and box, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the axle-box, of the sectional dust-guard and the vertically and horizontally acting springs tted to press said guard around the axle and against the axlebox, respectively, substantially as described.

3. The. combination, with the axle-box, of a dust-guard, aconning-cap, and a confiningwedge, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with an axle-box having a smooth rear end and a cap fitting thereon, with an intermediate space between them, of the slotted plate O, top piece, l?, sliding Vertically in the slot, springs Z Z, pressing against the rear of the plate O, spring c beneath said plate, spring b above the top piece, l?, and the dovctailed wed ge J, arranged above the sp1-in g b, the whole operating substantially in the manner set forth.

5. rIhe combination, with an axle-box and a cap having a dust-guard between them, of a spring above said dust-guard and a dovetailed wedge or retaining-piece fitting transversely across the top of the space between the said axle-box and cap and in contact with said spring, substantially as set forth.

WILLIAM' DAWSON. EDWARD J. Fnosr.

Witnesses:

FoRREs'r W. WEST, CHARLES F. ZIEGLER.' 

